Chasing Pavements
by AcrossTheSkyInStars
Summary: FAGE 3Some entry written for WoahNow. When his relationship with Bella ends badly, Edward is left cynical and angry. What happens when he finds himself compelled to attend an engagement party she'll also be at?
1. June 4th 2:16 PM

A/N: I apologize profusely to my recipient who has probably been waiting very patiently for this story. I pinched at the last minute and I hope this was worth the wait! At least a little bit :P

Thanks a million to Readingmama/Vampiremama for hosting FAGE, being all-around awesome, and beta'ing this for me. You rock.

Credit goes to Adele lyrics for the title :)

Enjoy!

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Ficawesome Gift Exchange – 3some

Title: Chasing Pavements

Written for: Callie WoahNow Jordan

Written By: AcrossTheSkyInStars

Rating: M

Summary/Prompt used: 1. Sexual tension involved 2. Characters already graduated high school

If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this exchange visit the Facebook group: Fanficaholics Anon: Where Obsession Never Sleeps or add the C2 to get all the stories direct to your inbox.  
>http:www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net/community/FAGE_3some/93625/

.

"Something, something about this place

Something 'bout lonely nights and my lipstick on your face

Something, something about my cool Nebraska guy

Yeah, something about, baby you and I"

- Lady Gaga: You and I

.

e.p.o.v

June 4th 2:16 PM

I pick up my phone, then put it back down on the coffee table.

I look at it.

I sit back against the couch, thinking of a reason to call her, but can't come up with anything intelligent.

She'd probably hang up on me anyway.

I lean forward again, elbows on my knees, and stare at the phone.

_Think of a reason, Edward. _

_Something._

The front door opens and closes, but my eyes stay on the phone.

"Waiting for an important call?" Jasper asks. When I don't respond, he sighs, "You really need to stop doing this, man."

I tap my knuckle against the screen of the phone.

"Come to the party this weekend...talk to her," he reasons, "please."

I purse my lips, stand up, and tuck my phone into my pocket.

"Just leave me alone," I reply.


	2. June 6th 1:54 AM

June 6th 1:54 AM

The sheets crumple near my feet, and I huff, kicking them off the edge of the bed.

I toss and turn, chucking my pillows next.

_Stop thinking about her._

For the hundredth time, my eyes go to my phone on the nightstand, cast in a dull red glow by the numbers on the alarm clock.

Instinctively, I pick it up.

Click on my contacts.

Scroll to her name.

And stare at it.


	3. June 8th 10:21 PM

June 8th 10:21 PM

"Will you just open the door?" Jasper gripes, "You're being an idiot."

"Screw off," I answer, "I'm busy."

His fist repeatedly pounds against the other side of the door.

So hard he may punch a hole eventually.

"Edward," he groans, "_Angry Birds_ is not busy, it's called being a sucky bitch. Will you just promise me you're coming tomorrow?"

I fling a bird into a throng of pigs, but hit nothing.

_Fucking pigs._

"For the love of God, answer me. I won't go away until you do," he chimes, punctuating his assurance with another round of knocking.

I toss aside my phone, and pad over to the door.

I unlock it and open it to appease him.

"Listen," I say to him, "I want to come, really. But I can't. So please _leave it alone, _because it's just not going to happen."

After a slight pause, I close the door without a response.


	4. June 9th 3:46 PM

June 9th 3:46 PM

"I know it's today!" I yell at him. I slam the fridge door shut, and turn around. "And I'm telling you I can't do it, Jas," I shake my head, "I can't. Go...have a good time...I'll come out with you and Alice later to celebrate, just not today."

"It's my engagement party," he retorts, a trace of hurt flickering in his eyes, "you're my best friend. You're going to be the _best man._ You have to be there."

I huff at how guilty I feel. "I know, I know, but..."

He tosses his keys onto the counter; his eyes harden until he looks downright angry.

"Uh huh, yeah, I get it, Bella is Alice's sister," he says flippantly, "but so what? You guys aren't dating anymore, be a grown up about it."

I tighten my grip on the bottle of water I'm holding.

"Alice will kill you if you don't come," he adds, "so do me a solid and keep my fiancée out of prison, kay?"

I swallow, and think about Alice. Her excitement when Jasper proposed. Her eagerness to plan the wedding. How much she will heckle, harass, or otherwise irritate me if I don't go.

_Shit._

"I'll think about it."


	5. 5:01 PM

5:01 PM

"So?"

I dig my fingers into my scalp, and tilt my head back. "I don't know," I reply, "why is this so fucking difficult?"

No answer.

"Is she seeing anyone?"

Crickets.

"Jasper?"

"Yeah," he murmurs, "she is."

I grind my teeth together. "That's just perfect," I whisper to myself. "Who is he?"

"You're not going to like it," Jasper asserts.

My throat is suddenly dry.

"Three guesses and the first two don't count?" I wonder aloud. I look at him out of the corner of my eye. I watch him nod. "Jake."

"Bingo."

I sit up, trying to ignore how much it hurts to hear; the devastation that sweeps through me; the sudden pang in my chest.

It's something I've never felt before.

It's foreign.

But I'm pretty sure I know what it means...I'm in love with her.


	6. 5:24 PM

5:24 PM

"Okay...so she's seeing him?" Jasper asks, "And...?"

I pace around the living room, then the kitchen, then the living room again.

I haven't said anything in minutes.

"And," I say uncertainly, "I don't know. Things were complicated when we broke up. I said...terrible things to her, Jas; accused her of things I shouldn't have...blamed her." I puff out my cheeks. "We didn't exactly end on good terms."

He tilts his head back and forth, contemplating. "Relationships are a bitch," he finally says. "They aren't easy. I know how it was during those few months – they were hell. Alice and Bella spent every waking minute at the restaurant; the renovation trumped everything else." He shrugs. "It's a fact. But Alice and I worked through it. Do you think there's any chance you could, too?"

"I don't even think she'd talk to me," I admit truthfully. "She all but told me to go fuck myself last time we spoke."

Jasper snickers, and quickly composes himself. "Do you love her?"

I turn back around when I reach the island in the kitchen.

He's looking at me, waiting.

"Yeah...I do."

Jasper stands up, and walks over to the fridge.

He pulls out two bottles of beer; sets one down in front of me.

"Then get her back," he says simply.

I twist off the cap, and take a long sip.

"Okay," I agree, "I'm in."


	7. 7:15 PM

7:15 PM

"_Are you serious?" she asks, "Jake? You're out of your mind, Edward, he's my fucking bartender."_

_I shrug. "Sure looks like you spend a lot of time with him, if you ask me."_

"_First of all," she retorts, "nobody asked you." _

_She stands in front of me, hands on her hips, a petite ball of fury. _

"_And second of all," she continues, "of course I spend a lot of time with him, we work together. It's a little hard to avoid if I want someone besides myself to make drinks."_

"_I'm sure he does a lot more than make your drinks, Bella..."_

"Edward?"

Jasper breaks my reverie, and I cock my head toward the sound of his voice.

"You still okay?"

I nod. "Fine," I lie, "just...thinking, I guess."

"Okay," he says sceptically, "we're leaving in ten, yeah?"

I nod again, and take another sip of my beer.

For the life of me, I can't stop replaying my last night with her in my mind, the accusations that tore us apart, the stinging slap to the face she left me with, the echoing words of _I can't do this anymore _haunting my every thought.

In retrospect, looking back on it, I did everything wrong.

I only succeeded in putting out the fire in our relationship. If I had just told her how I felt – how much I missed her – instead of accusing her of cheating on me, she'd probably still be here.

But my jealousy got the better of me. And accusing her, pointing the finger at her, blaming her for the strain on our relationship...it was easier than admitting we were both failing to make it work.

In reality, we were both too busy for each other; clear and simple.

Only I was too stubborn and proud to admit it.


	8. 7:43 PM

7:43 PM

"Oh," Jasper says when we reach _The Black Swan, _"and don't punch the guy in the face, okay? I'd really hate for Alice to kick you in the jewels."

I study the intricate black designs on the windows and door, a new addition to the previously bare exterior.

"Scout's honour," I joke.

"Ed-"

"Fuck, I'm kidding," I retort, "I'll be cool. I'll use my words or whatever."

He rolls his eyes, and leads the way inside. I follow, stunned by the drastic transformation, how what used to be run-down and homey is now sleek, modern, and edgy. Everything is a variation of black, silver, and red, evoking something dark and beautiful.

It looks phenomenal; a hundred times better than before.

And when I admire the small complexities, every perfectly placed detail, I can't help the guilt rising in my chest.

She was so busy with this, so busy with her _job..._

I was so stupid.

"Jasper," the hostess greets him, "congratulations."

"Angela," he says warmly, "thanks a lot. Should be a good turnout tonight, I'm assuming. Where is that fiancée of mine?"

"Oh, helping Bella with the decorations still," Angela laughs, "they've been at it for a while. They're just over by the bar."

After thanking her again, Jasper strides past the hostess' stand in search of Alice. I trail behind, desperate to quell the uneasy feeling suddenly plaguing me, the nerves prickling the back of my neck.

Through the crowd, I see Alice; standing on a precarious bar stool, stringing up sets of lights. When she wobbles a tiny bit, a hand darts up to steady her, a tattoo lining the inside of the slim wrist. Though I'm too far away to see clearly, I can picture the elegant script, the slender, curving lines that spell out the word _Breathe _right over her pulse point.

I'm one step away from bumping into a table when I realize it's Bella.

_Fuck._

"Edward," a familiar voice says, "drunk already?"

I tear my gaze away from Bella's arm, and find myself hovering awkwardly near a table occupied by Jasper's sister and brother-in-law.

"Anyone home?" Rosalie asks.

"Uh yeah, hey," I say with a shake of my head, "sorry. I zoned out."

I glance over Rose's shoulder, watching as Jasper spontaneously grips Alice around the waist. He swings her down, and steps out of sight, affording me a glimpse of Bella; her slim figure next to them, her dark, curly hair spilling down over her sun-kissed shoulders.

_Good lord._

Her dress.

"I...have a lot of things on my mind," I add, giving them a brief smile, "I'll catch up with you guys later."

I step around their table, too worked up to wait for a response.

I navigate the growing crowd, keeping my eyes glued to her, all of her. Every supple curve, every inch of her that is clad in the tight black dress, every inch of her that isn't.

With the dress and the heels, the sexy curl to her hair...she is a sight impossible to ignore.

And it hits me how much I miss her.

How badly I want her back.


	9. 7:52 PM

7:52 PM

"Rum and Coke," I answer the redheaded bartender, "thanks."

I reach into my wallet, and pull out a ten. I leave it on the bar when she returns and pick up my drink, tipping my glass toward her in thanks.

She flashes me a cute smile before helping another customer.

As covertly as possible, I scan the bar for Bella. I find Alice and Jasper, but not her, and thankfully...not Jake either. Just envisioning a kick to the groin – with those pointy shoes Alice wears – gives me the chills.

No, thank you, I'm quite attached to my lower half.

I swallow a sip of my strong drink, and lean against the bar.

I sweep my eyes across the crowd again, searching for her; realizing my effort is in vain when she saunters through a row of high-top tables and stops in front of me.

I have no idea what to say.

_You are so beautiful. _

"So..." Bella begins.

I sip on my drink. "So," I reply.

"Where is she?" Bella asks.

As if I'm supposed to understand.

"Excuse me?"

She takes a small step closer, tilting her head. "I said: where. Is. She?" Bella repeats.

Her soft lips are painted red, set into a hard line, and her delicate features are twisted into a gorgeously terrifying expression.

Despite the apparent irritation directed at me, every part of her screams sexy.

I can't _not _look at her.

My eyes won't let me.

She's so elegant, so fierce and stunning.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I answer in confusion, "who?"

"Who?" she says incredulously, "Are you for real?"

I set my drink down on the bar, and rake my fingers through my hair.

I wait for her to continue.

"Tanya," she growls with a subtle gesture of her hands, "the skank you work with, the one you spent all that time with. Alice said you were bringing her. So I want to know...where is she? I want to meet her."

My eyes flicker back and forth between hers.

She can't be serious.

I take her arm, and pull her aside. "Tanya?" I say through gritted teeth, "Have you completely lost it? I told you, _a thousand times before, _I'm not interested in her. Not back when we were dating, not now. Not ever, got it?"

Her full lips mash together, and her brows pucker in curiosity.

"And what about you?" I counter, "Where's Jake?"

Bella blinks, and drops her hands to her sides. "At home?" she replies uncertainly, "How the fuck should I know?"

"Funny," I say crossly, "Jasper told me you wer-"

I stop myself, suddenly recalling Bella's words.

_Alice said..._

"You aren't here with Jake, are you?" I ask knowingly.

Bella sighs, "No, Edward, I'm not. And I don't know how many times we've had this argument before, but-"

I raise my brows, waiting for her to piece it together.

"You're not here with Tanya," she remarks.

Clarity strikes us both, and we turn, zeroing in on Alice and Jasper at the other end of the bar.

They salute us with their champagne flutes, and sip, showing off their smug smiles.

_Conniving bastards. _

"Wow," Bella muses, "I'm...actually quite impressed. Those two are more suave than I give them credit for."

I reach for my drink, and tip back the rest of it.

"Me, too," I admit, "they sure are something."

When I nod to the bartender for another drink, Bella sighs, "I think I get why they did this."

I turn to look at her, and those sultry eyes, a blend of brown and hazel, take my breath away.

"Would you maybe want to talk sometime?" she asks sincerely, "Over coffee or dinner. I realize it's been a few weeks, but...I miss you. A lot happened, Edward, and if we could talk, _without _yelling...I think maybe-well, I don't know what, but I'm willing to try."

I smile, and lightly grip her hand in mine.

I trail my finger over her tattoo.

"I'd love that."


	10. 9:37 PM

9:37 PM

After my seventh rum and Coke, my vision begins to blur.

My steps are less concise.

My verbal filter slowly disappears.

It also may be the stifling heat in the room, or Bella, who is comfortably leaning against me.

I still haven't decided.

"Wanna dance?" she murmurs in my ear.

I polish off what's left of my drink, and loop my arms around her waist.

She slowly walks in front of me, hands ghosting over top of mine, fingers tangling, as she leads me away from the bar. She gently pulls me with each step, but the coercion is far from necessary.

I'd follow her anyway.

She stops when we reach the edge of the makeshift dance floor, and looks at me over her shoulder, coaxing me with her fiery gaze, the subtle lift of her eyebrow, to dance with her.

I take the invitation.

I press my hands into her hips, outlining her curves, and pull her body flush with mine; her back to my chest, her ass indecently nestled against my crotch.

She tilts her head to rest it on my shoulder, and her arms trail up, past the collar of my shirt, to weave around my neck.

As a result, she ends up rewarding me with a captivating view of her chest; breasts bouncing slightly with each movement, the fleshy skin glistening with a thin sheen of sweat from the heat.

I tighten my fingers, digging them into her dress.

_Kill me now. _

Her nails teasingly scratch the nape of my neck, and when she wiggles her hips just so, I pull her closer.

I voraciously kiss the corner of her jaw; graze my teeth over her earlobe.

"You're not playing very nice, Bella," I warn.

Her response is a sexy smirk, and a delicious sway of her hips.

Right into my hardened cock.

"Bella," I groan.

I kiss the hollow of her throat this time, and dart my tongue out to taste her collarbone.

I nibble on her warm skin.

She hums, and her nails sink into my hair, enticing me, offering me ample opportunity to explore the rest of her slender throat and shoulders.

"Bella!"

I hear it over the music.

The sound of her sister's voice.

Bella abruptly disentangles herself from me, and steps out of my reach to pinpoint Alice. I turn when she leaves, finding it hard to do anything but watch her, unable to tear my gaze away from the revealing back of her dress that leads down to the voluptuous swell of her ass.

_Get a grip, Edward._

I shake my head, and make my way off the dance floor, through groups of clustered customers and familiar friends. I order another drink at the bar. Before I can pay, Bella slips in beside me and not-so-subtly brushes her hand over my thigh.

She's trying to kill me.

"Meet me in my office in twenty minutes," she says, "I have to help out the bar for a bit."

I take my drink, and leave cash. "You have an office?"

"I do now," she replies.

She leans up, using my leg for leverage, and leisurely grazes her fingers over the zipper of my dress pants.

I brace myself against the polished wood of the bar.

_Holy shit. _

"It's through the kitchen, at the back," Bella whispers. "It's got my name on the door."

She manoeuvres a key into my pocket, gently kisses me on the cheek, and she's gone.


	11. 10:45 PM

10:45 PM

"Where are youuu?" I grumble into the empty office.

I swivel back and forth in Bella's chair, and stare at the ceiling.

I'm barely even drunk anymore.

And I've been waiting for her almost an hour.

I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth, swivel one way, and then spin back toward the desk. When my knee hits the handle of the drawer, I sigh.

_This is ridiculous._

Resigned, I leave her office.

I lock the door with the key she gave me, and go back the way I came; nod to the kitchen guys I saw on the way in. I disjointedly manoeuvre my way through the bar, bumping into drunk customers, avoiding oblivious dancers who slosh their drinks from their glasses.

With a bit of a shove, I push past an obnoxious-looking woman with blonde hair.

I scowl at her, and the rail-thin brunette she's hanging onto.

When I stop to look around, to perhaps find Bella, I don't have to look far.

Maybe it's coincidence, or maybe not, but I find her right away.

And not just Bella.

Bella and Jake.

_Seriously?_

She laughs at something he says, a genuine laugh, and my jaw clenches.

I look away.

I stalk through the crowd; I bump into anyone and everyone, not that I care.

Before I can reach the door, a hand grips me from behind.

When I turn, I see Jasper.

"Going somewhere?" he yells over the music.

"Home," I retort, "problem with that?"

I wrench my arm from his grasp, and he glowers at me. "Yeah, big problem," he says, "what the fuck happened with Bella?"

My eyes flicker back to the bar, where she's now standing with Alice.

She's gazing at me; face sombre, eyes pleading.

As calmly as I can, I lift my hand.

I extend my middle finger to her.

"She screwed me," I tell Jasper, "I'm going home."


	12. 10:51 PM

10:51 PM

"Edward!" Bella screams from behind me, "Will you just _stop _walking?"

"Fuck off, Bella," I shout back.

The click of her heels against the pavement gets louder.

In turn, I walk faster.

There's no way she can run in those shoes.

"You are so frustrating!" she groans, "Please...just – please." Her words are breathless, which means she'll probably give up soon.

"I will follow you all the way to your apartment!" she warns, "Don't think I won't."

"Lovely," I say sarcastically, "don't break your heels trying, princess."

She screams out in annoyance, and the irritating click of her shoes picks up.

I walk even faster.


	13. 11:09 PM

11: 09 PM

I unlock the front door to my apartment; flick on the hall light.

I lock it behind me, to keep her out, and kick off my shoes.

I loosen the first few buttons of my dress shirt, and rub my fingers against the back of my neck; the muscles are tight and tense, the stress of the night weighing me down.

I'm intent on going to the kitchen for a drink, but that would just be too easy.

A shadowy figure lingering in the living room stops me.

"How did you get in here?" I ask her, "And how did you beat me?"

She dangles a key from her finger. "Forgot I had this?" she replies, "And I took the elevator, it's quicker."

I purse my lips, angry, because I did forget. "Whatever. You can leave it on the table and get out."

She sighs, and then looks down at the carpet; she runs her fingers through her tousled hair. "You're not even going to let me talk?" she asks quietly.

"Why should I?"

Her conflicted eyes meet mine in the dim light; her lips pucker in a frown. "Because you don't understand," she argues, "and you won't let me explain. How is that fair?"

I shrug. "I don't really know, Bella," I tell her honestly, "all I know is what I saw. And it feels like someone punched me in the chest, so I'd appreciate it if you just left me alone."

She takes a few quiet steps toward me, arms crossed over her chest; defensive. "This is what I hated the most," she admits, "when you wouldn't let me tell you my side of it. You just assume and get angry and tell me to leave."

I watch her, the way she self-consciously stands there, rocking back and forth on her heels, waiting.

Even though I'm still pissed, I realize she's right.

I never gave her a chance.

"Okay," I say with a nod, "okay, I'm sorry."

I step around her to sit on the couch; motion for her to do the same.

"Then what the fuck was that?" I ask, "I was waiting in your office...and I come out to see that?"

She slips off her high heels, and scoots closer to me; takes my hands and brushes her thumbs over mine.

"It looked bad," she confesses, "but it's not. I planned on helping out the bar for a little bit until it died down. Only...it didn't. After a while of it being steady, I called him in..._to work. _When you saw us is when he got there. I was simply saying hi before I was coming to see _you._"

She licks her lips, and grips my one hand; lifts her other to gently cup my face. "I'm sorry," she says, "for making you doubt me. I wanted nothing more than to spend the night with you...and spending however long it took to fix this."

I blink at her, let the words sink in, and then bend forward slightly to kiss her.

Her lips are soft and warm, just like I remember, and they taste like peaches; I have no idea what she was drinking, and I don't particularly care.

Whatever it is...I like it.

"Stay with me," I murmur, "tonight. Stay."

Her tongue presses roughly against mine, peachy and tangy.

I take that as a yes.

"Your room," she replies between kisses, "now."


	14. 11:37 PM

11:37 PM

Bella collapses on the bed, hair fanning out over the pillows in a tangled mess.

"I don't think I can walk," she says breathlessly, "you killed me."

I chuckle quietly, and trail my fingers over her bare back. "All part of my plan," I joke. "Cripple you so you won't leave my bed."

I outline her delicate curves, smiling at the goose bumps I leave in my wake.

"It's working," she tells me, eyes closed, "I might just have to stay for...oh, ever."

She yawns, and opens her eyes, gazing up at me. "I'm sorry...about everything," she apologizes, "not just tonight, but before, too."

I slip my hand down, until my fingers reach her thigh. I coax her closer to me, stopping only when her naked body is flush with mine.

"So am I," I whisper. "I was stupid. So, so stupid."

I lean down, taking her peachy lips in a sweet kiss. "Forgive me?" I ask. "Start over with me?"

She smiles against my lips; makes a cute little noise close to a giggle.

With a firm press to my chest, she rolls us over. She plants herself on top of me, resting all of her weight on my chest.

Her face is nestled in the crook of my neck.

"Always," she answers.

THE END


End file.
